The invention relates to a new and improved liquid nebulizing device and more particularly relates to a disposable, preferably constructed of a transparent plastic, nebulizer having improved aerosol production and a system therefor.
It is well known that nebulizers are pneumatic devices for breaking up a liquid medicament into small particles and to entrain such small liquid particles in the stream of air or oxygen gas thereby providing an aerosol for inhalation therapy in the treatment of respiratory system disorders or to avoid such disorders. It is important during such therapy that there be a sufficient quantity and proper formation of aerosol provided by the nebulizer. If the particles or droplets of the medicament are too fine, they are not likely to be retained in the respiratory tract, but will, to a great extent, be exhaled. If the particles are too large, they will-likely be deposited on the upper reaches of the respiratory system, such as the trachea and the upper tracheal-bronchial trees, thereby leaving the rest of the system untreated. It is also important that the aerosol be delivered to the patient in a smooth, uniform manner.
Production of a proper aerosol is substantially dependent on the design of the nebulizer. Prior to such patents as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,097,645 and 3,762,409, it was conventional to employ the fly-spray principle of aerosol in the design of nebulizers. This principle involved directing a stream of gas from a nozzle at right angles across the open end of a tube extending to the reservoir containing liquid medicament. Proper positioning and sizing of the tube and nozzle are extremely critical and the design of a nebulizer employing the principle is such that it is difficult and expensive to manufacture, particularly if the nebulizer is to be made of plastic.
Nebulizers of the type as shown in Lester's patents mentioned in the above and of the present nebulizer is that these types of nebulizers are simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Also, the design of these nebulizers are such that the device can be easily formed of plastic and the device is relatively unbreakable. Moreover, because these types of nebulizers can be produced at a marked reduction in cost, the entire nebulizer can be disposed of after use thereby avoiding the costs of cleaning.
The present invention represents an improved form of this particular type of nebulizer and employs certain elements of these nebulizers. However, the present invention also includes numerous details of construction not shown in any previous nebulizer devices which produce new and improved results.